Shelf support



ug- 6, 1935. H. R. KLAUDT 2,010,596

SHELF SUPPORT Filed July 19, 1934 Patented Aug. 6, 1935 .s I Y 2,010,596

,OFFICE My invention relates to an adjustable shelf support adapted to be `supported directly between two `'approximately parallel upright walls Without requiring nails or other fastening elementsfor 5 holding it rigidly positioned. Y

`In general, the objects of my inventionare those of providing a shelf-board support which can easily be positioned and rmly `anchored to Walls are not precisely parallel to each other. Furthermore, my invention aims to provide a shelf support of this class which canreadily be tightened into rmgripping relation to bothfofL the said walls by theuse of a mere wire nail as `a lever, and which will automatically adjustitself (duringthis tightening) to the extent to which the.

support-engaging portionsof the twouwalls are out of parallel. w i In addition,` my invention aims to providev a shelf supportof the above recited characteristics which will prevent the wall-engaging elements from being expanded in any direction `.parallel to the face of the adjacent wall, to suchan. extent as -to reduce the rmnessof the gripping; ,and aimstoprovide an exceedingly simple and inexpensive construction for such a `shelf support. Moreover, myinvention aims to provide ashelf Support of the above recited characteristics which can readily be .adjusted and installed by a single person, as distinguished from proposed prior constructions which required two persons .for this purpose. t n f Inthe drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view 0f a shelf support embodying .my invention, showing the same as it appears when positioned between two upright walls, portions ofthese walls being shown in horizontal section.` 1

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same shelf-support, with portions of the walls shown in Vverticalsection, and including a shelf board seated on: the shelf-support.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end elevation of the m same shelf-support and of the shelf-board supported by it, taken from the une 3,-3of Fig; `2. i Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section takenalongl the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. i .1

Fig. 5 is a greatly enlarged and fragmentary horizontal section taken alongthe line.` 5-5 ofare not quite parallel to each other.; I

In the illustrated embodiment, my shel sup.

two upright walls byany oneyrand which will then sustain heavy weights even' when thesaid4 Vrightangles` to the said axisQand-have their rotating the said rod. -r

port comprises two counterpart thrust members of a hollow triangular section in planviwfeach ofwhich members. may be a grayI iron casting. Each of theseA thrust members comprises two legs l divergi'ngfrom a boss 2 provided with a threaded bore B which has its aXisA bisecting the angle between the said two arms. .Connecting the outer ends of these arms is bar 3 which forms the third leg of the hollow triangular formation and whichV has eachof its end portionsfformed to vpresent an outwardly opening cuplC.` These two cups on each thrust member have. I lat bottoms C1 disposed` in a common plane at mouthendsCin a commonplane ,P (Fig. 1) 15 which is parallel to.and spaced laterally out.- ward `of theaforesaid plane, and the cups preferably `are spaced 4farther apart than the outer ends of thefdiverging' arms `l, so that athrust on.thesaidlegsl toward-the bar (or end leg) 3 ,willl be receivedby and distributed uniformly over the bottoms ofbothcups. Moreover, the outer-;edge 3a of thesaidoutward leg 3 .is Pfeferably spaced .inwardly Vfrom-.the said plane, asl :shown -in Fig. 1, 4for; the hereinafter. recited purpose, i

lEachof these-cups; preferably has its bore of a-rectangular-section and its longer cup walls horizontal. Socketed in eachof the said cups C is aA compressible element. E of uniform thickness which seats. on'lthe cup bottom Cl and projectsbeyond themouthof` the cup, this compressible element being .desirably of a rectangular slab -of a homogeneous grade ofi cork, cut so as tot snugly into the cup as shown in Figs. 3

-Interposed between the two thrust members isa.: thrust rod R which extends;axiallyA through the bosses`2 and 2a iof the said members, and which has {relativelyreverse threadedrconnections-to the said bosses, the threaded connection between'the thrust rod anda single one of the bosses being arranged for allowingthat rod to rockin the; boss. For example,A if the boss 2 has. its interior thread smoothly fitting the right- 45 hand threadf on` one endrthirdof the rod R, I provide ythe `other l; os: s.-.-1'a:with a bore B of the same `pitch as the lefthandthread rlV on-the opposite endlof theysaid rod but form `this bore thread with an oversize tapa In addition, the rod Rv desirably has a transversebore 5 through which anordinarylwire nailcan be inserted, so that this nail can j*be gripped toaiord a leverage for To instal such a shelf support, the-two thrust members are first adjusted (by rotating one or both thereof on the doubly threaded rod R, or by rotating this rod while both thrust members are stationary) until the outer faces of the compressible (cork) elementsE on one thrust member are spaced from the outer faces of the other two compressible elements by a distance somewhat less than the previously measured spacing of the two walls which are to be spanned by my shelf support. A wire nail N is then dropped through the rod bore l5 asin Fig. 2 so that gravity will hold it in position for use as a lever to rotate the said rod further during the installing ofthe shelf support.

When the shelf support is then held between the two walls at approximately the desired height, the two thrust members can readily be 'moved apart by using the said nail N-,as a lever to rotate the rod R until both pairs of thecork facings (or compressible elements) lightly engage'the two walls W with sufficient pressure toV support the shelf support alone. The installer now canreadily shift each of the two thrust members to positions in which each 'is exactly at the desired height .and with'the longer walls of its two cups exactly horizontal, since a lightjfrictional gripping of theA two walls by the cork 'elements will still permit such a shifting.

After this exact positioning has been effected, the installer rotates the rod still *furtherr in the same direction as before, so that the increased separation yof the two! hollow triangular thrustA members not only `will'press the outward faces of each pair ofthe cork elements against the adjacent wall but also will compress "these Acork elements sufficiently to make their grip on `the said walls adequate for supporting 'a considerable load. If each of thethr'eaded portions rand r1 on the rod R closely iitted the thread `in the boss through which that rod'portion extends,V the compressible elements E could only be compressed `uniformly over theirV entire `area if the opposed 'faces of the two walls Wwere exactly parallel, which 'is rarely the case. However,` the loose Viit of the thread in the boss 2a from the rod *threadA extending through it allows `for thel extent to which 'the laterally opposed ,portions of such riser walls in a closet or niche frequently deviate ifr'om 4exact parallelism,-so that'the two Vthrust members automatically adjust themselves to insure a firm-bearing of the entire vouter face of each compressible element against 'the adjacent wall. I For example, ifthe rod portion r Figi-1 is threaded for -agood viit'withthe threadedffbore of the boss 2 through Whichit extends, I form `the bore in the companion boss by using va sufficiently oversize tap so that the other rod portion r1 can vrock lsomewhat in the last riamed bore, thereby permitting the axis of the `other boss 2a "to be tilted with respect of the :axis A of the entirerod'R'in any plane diametricof that rod as shown on an Yenlarged scale in Fig. 5. YAs theresult of this provision, theloosely threaded thrust member willrock automatically about the 'center of its jboss 2a in any plane diametri'c'o-f thethru'st rod so as to veinial'iz'e the-force to 'which all four of the cork -elementsfE-arefpre'ssed against the walls adjacent to Ithem,thereby'causing each of these 'cork 4elements to have its entire-'outward face r'mly pressed against lthe adjacent walln Consequently, I avoid. the Vdis'satisfaction and theA accidents which 'have 'occurredwith Vprevious types of somewhat allied shelf-supports in which the two Vpresser members 'were connected toeach other sc as to maintain their Aoui'fvi'ard orwallengaging portions rigidly in parallel planes. Moreover, by using two Widely spaced compressible elements in connection with each press member and by disposing the cup connecting portion of each outward leg or bar 3 as heretofore recited, I provide a clear spacing S of considerable width between the major portion of the end bar 3 of veach such member and the adjacent wall, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby permitting this end bar portion to clear considerable wall protuberances without affecting the iirmness with which my shelf support is anchored to the walls.

So also, by having each compressible element "lit into a cup which extends peripherally completely around the inward portion of such an ele- `ment, instead of having such compressible ele- "mentsA iitted into open-ended channels, I prevent an undue expansion of these elements in all directions parallel to the face of the adjacent wall, thereby enabling me to enhance the rrnness of the gripping.

To prevent the above described loose and tiltpermitting interiitting of one threaded portion r1 with the threaded bore in the adjacent ythrust member lfrom unduly reducing transmission of the thrust of the rod R when my shelf-support is being rmly positioned betweenY two approximately parallel walls, I preferably limit the previously described looseness so that it will permit the thrust member to tilt about theY axis of the rod through an angle a (Fig. 5) of not more than approximately two degrees. f

As the result of the above departures from previous practice, I have found the weight-sustaining power of myY shelf-support to be far greater than that obtainable with supports in which each compressible element extended for substantially the full length or width of the corresponding presser member. And even with my cork slabs of relatively small area, I can utilize the cup walls so effectively for limiting the expanding of such compressible Aelements that I have found the load-sustaining ability of my shelf supports unaifected by wide variations in both temperature'and humidity, and also unaffected by Wide variations iin the smoothness of the walls. However, while I have illustrated my shelfsupport as used in connection with an integral shelf-board, it should be obvious without separate illustration that this shelf-support will function `tol equal advantage with an extensible (twopartlls'helf board. So also, it will be obvious that the details of construction and arrangement above described may be varied in many respects without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims. --I claim as my invention:

l. A shelf-support comprising two thrust members of hollow triangular shape in plan view presentin'g apices toward each other and having coaxial *and relatively lreversely threaded bosses at their said apices, the outer leg of each trithe effective relatively reversely threaded portion loosely fitting the thread in the other boss so as to permit a tilting of the said other boss With respect to the axis ofthe said shank.

2. A shelf-support as per claim 1, in which each of the said cups is polygonal in section, `and in which the part of each compressible member housed by each cup ts against the peripheral Walls of the cup.

3. A shelf-support as per claim 1, in which each of the said cups is rectangular in section so as to present upright end Walls and relatively longer horizontal Walls, the upper horizontal walls of the cups on each end leg of a thrust member being disposed in a common plane so that one end of a shelf-board will seat atwise 5. AV shelf-support comprising an axially straight rod having a right-hand thread and a left-hand thread extending respectively from opposite ends of the rod toward its mid-length, and two counterpart thrust members respectively threaded on the said end thread portions of the rod, the threading in one thrust member being a close t to the rod thread extending through it andthe threading'on the other thrust member being sufficiently loose on the rod thread extending through it to permit the said other thrust member to tilt about the axis of the said rod through an angle of a few degrees only; each thrust member having its outward end'formedV to present feet symmetrically disposed with re\ spect to the axis of the rod, each such foot being hollowed out as an outwardly open cup; and compressible elements each socketed in one of the said feet, the compressible elements on each thrust member presenting their outward faces in a common plane at right angles to the axis of the threaded connection of that member to the said rod.

HELMUTH R. KLAUDT. 

